Sand pump



July 20, 1937. J. E. BRAZ'ELL SAND PUMP Filed July 25, 1936 Patented July 20, 1937 UNITED STATES SAND PUMP James E. Brazell, Joinerville, Tex., assignor of forty-live per cent to Charles E. Lafferty and ten per cent to Gordon Edgar, both of Rusk County, Tex.

Application July 25,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a sand pump and has particular relation to a pump which is specially adapted for use in removing sand from the well wherein the pump is located.

An object of the invention is to p'rovide a sand pump which may be lowered into a well and whereby the sand shale, mud, or water collecting in the reservoir, in the well, may be removed a load at .a time.

It is another object of the invention -to pro. vide, in a sand pump, 4a novel type of pump plunger wherein spaced plunger sections are yieldingly mounted on a. tubular mandrel.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a pump of the character described having a novel type of foot valve.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a vertical sectional view ofthe pump barrel, showing an elevational view of the plunger therein.

Figure 2 shows a vertical sectional view of the plunger.

Figure 3 shows an enlarged vertical sectional view of the foot valve, and

Figure 4 shows a cross sectional view thereof taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing wherein like numerals of reference designate similar parts in each ofthe figures, the numeral I designates the cylindrical pump barrel screwed o wardlyforming the annular seat 4. A disc 5 is pivotally mounted in the lower end of the casing 2 and the disc is of a diameter to t closely within and to pass through the seat 4. Beneath the'seat 4 there is a plug 6 threaded through the 5 wall of the casing arranged opposite the pivot 1 on -which the disc is mounted. When the disc is in transverse position as shown in Figures 1 and 4 the plug 6 may be screwed inwardly forming a stop to maintain the disc in transverse position.

The disc will thus be permitted to open upwardly to admit the load, as hereinafter explained, and will be maintained in transverse position to trap said load when the pump is withdrawn from the well. When it is desired to dump the load at the ground surface the plug 6 may be screwed out- 1936, Serial No. 92,485

wardly to clear the disc 5 to permit said disc to swing downwardly into the position shown in Figure 3 to permit the load tobe dumped.

Attached to the upper end of the barrel there is ya. head 8 having the upstanding tubular neck 9 through which the operating cable I0 may work. 'Ihe neck has the external downwardly pitched annular teeth II over which a grappling tool of conventional construction may be engaged should it be necessary to do so to remove the pump from the well in case the pump should become stuck therein. Normally the pump is lowered into the well and removed therefrom by means o'f the operating cable I0 which extends to the ground surface. The well will usually contain a casing I2 which is set therein above the oil producing stratum and above the reservoir I3 in which the oil collects and which also, in certain characters of formation, collects the sand, which it is de'sired to remove. y

In the barrel and attached to the lower end of the cable there is a novel type of plunger which will now be described.

This plunger has a tubular mandrel I4 on the lower end of which there is fastened, in any preferred manner, a stop I5. Slidably mounted on the mandrel and spaced apart are the plunger sections I6 preferably formed of metal although they may be Vformed of any suitable material. Four of these sections are shown in Figure 1 but a greater or less number may be employed if desired. These sections, except the lower one, are mounted on suitable coil springs Il which surround the mandrel, each spring resting on the plunger section, or stop, beneath. These plunger sections t closely around the mandrel and closely within the barrel I; They are relatively short so that if a gritty or cutting substance should nd its waybetween a section and the barrel it will readily pass out and free itself during the manipulation of the plunger, particularly by reason of the fact that each plunger section is yieldingly mounted and will have a tendency tomove up and down so as to easily free the offending object. A tubular nipple I8 is attached to the upper end ofthe mandrel. The upper end of this nipple is formed with an annular valve seat I9 which is`contro1led by the upwardly opening ball valve 20. This valve is confined within a tubular cage 2| which has a cross rod z2 to limit the upward movement of the Valve 20. The cage 2| also has the side openings 23 to permit the free outow of liquid and the solid objects therein which may pass upwardly through the mandrel I4 while the pump is being lowered into the well or during the reciprocation of the plunger.

The upper end of the cage 2| has the reduced extension 24 shaped to t snugly into the socket 25 in the lower end of the head 8 when vthe plunger is elevated into its upper position; preparatory to removing the pump from the well.

'I'he barrel I has the side outlets 26 adjacent its upper end 'to permit the discharge of liquid and solid particles from the barrel upon upward,

movement of the plunger.

AThe lower end of the operating cable IU is fitted downwardly through the' upper end of the cage 2| and is suitably secured in the socket member 21 whose upper end ts up into the socket 28 within said cage and said socket member 21 may be fastened in place by a set screw 29 which is threaded through the wall of the cage 2 I. In order to fit the socket member 21 in place and to secure the cable thereto a side opening 3D is provided in the cage 2| for access to the work.

In operation the pump is assembled as shown in Figure 1 and is then lowered into the well as also shown in said gure, with the lower end of the pump in the reservoir I3. While the pump is being lowered the plunger will be in its upper position as is obvious but when the pump lands on bottom, the plunger will move downwardly to the lower end of the pump when the tension on the cable is released, the fluid beneath the plunger passing upwardly through the mandrel I4, past the valve 20 and out through the openings-23. Upon upward pull on the cable I0, the plunger will be moved upwardly and a load of sand will be drawn in from the reservoir I3 into the barrel I, the disc 5 lifting to permit the inlet of the load. As the plunger is elevated the springs I1 will yield and be placed under a certain amount of compression, thus acting as shock absorbers and t'o that extent relieving the sudden tension on the cable III and when the plunger has reached the limit of its upward movement the springs will expand to their iormei` position. 'Ihis movement of the plunger sections will assist in displacing gritty substances that may collect between said sections and the barrel I.

'further'upwardfmovement of the plunger will have a tendency to cause a relative downward movement of the barrel further into the formation, either resulting in the breakage of the cable I0 or the sticking of the pump in the well. Under these conditions when a plunger of the type herein described is used, the cable may be alternately placed under tension and released, thus causing a vertical reciprocatory movement of the 4sections I6, due to the action of the springs 1,

thus impartingvibrations to the pump with the result that the lower end of the barrel may be released from the formation. When a load is' obtained and the pump is elevated the disc 5 will be moved to closed position thus entrapping the load andv the'pump may then be pulled on out of the well and the plug Ii released as hereinbefore explained to permit dumping of load.

The drawing and description disclose what is now considered to be a preferred form of the invention, by way of illustration only, while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What` I claim is:-

1. In a pump, a plunger comprising a tubular mandrel, sealing members around the mandrel and spaced apart, yieldable means between the sealing members, a valve cage attached to thel upper end of the mandrel and having an outlet, a seat beneath the outlet, an upwardly opening valve controlling said seat and means on the cage for the attachment of a cable thereto,

2. A sand pump comprising a tubular barrel,

'a foot Valve at its lower end, a plunger in the barrel including a mandrel, and spaced sealing members around and movable longitudinally un the mandrel and shaped to t in the barrel, coil springs around the mandrel between the sealing members, means on the mandrel for the connection of an operating cable thereto and stopl said sealing members, a valve controlling the upward ow of liquid through the mandrel, a valve cage attached to the upper end of the mandrel and conning said valve, an operating cable working through said head, means for attaching the cable to saidA cage, the upper end of the cage being reduced to fit into said socket upon the movement of said plunger to its upper position in the barrel.

4. In a pump a plunger comprising a tubular mandrel, sealing members around the mandrel and spaced apart, coil springs between the sealing members, a'valve cage on the mandrel having an outlet, a seat beneath the outlet, an upwardly opening valve controlling the seat and means for connecting an operating member to the plunger. l.

JAMES E. BRAZEIL. 

